Friday, August 23, 2013

I try to remember to take my camera everywhere I go.I never know what I will chance upon.Yesterday, squeezed between household choresand a computer lesson at the Apple store,I went on a fast 2.5 mile walk on a grey, cloudy morning.I rounded a corner and came across serendipidy ~robins hanging out in a small puddle!

Aurorans situated on the high plains to the east of the Denver Metro Areaare at the leading edge of commercial suborbital flight!Well, technically, Front Range Airport is in Watkinsjust northeast of Aurora,but the city of Aurora is working hardto make commercial suborbital flightout of Front Range Airport a reality.In the very near future!Sign me up!!!!!
Source: The Aurora Magazine: http://theauroramagazine.com/features/aurora-travel-gets-and-altitude/

2028: That's the year! You could take off from Front Range Airportand be in South Africa in about two and a half hours!John Glenn returned to space at 77 ~In 2028, I could go for "wave riding" by skipping along the Earth's atmosphereto experience suborbital flight and weightlessness,to see Earth as a ball,and to be checking out Africa's wildlife in no time!Hummm! Just one problem ~Fifteen years to win the Lotto!The price of a ticket will not be cheap!In March, 2013, it looked like Spaceport Colorado might be kaput.The FAA was looking to cut costs because of sequestrationand considered closing Front Range Airport's control tower.After lobbying by congressional members,the control tower was spared.Woop! Woop!The goal of our spaceport is for real!!!!!What do you think about space travel?I thought for sure by now we'd have colonies on the moonand astronauts on Mars.I am very disappointed with where we are,because I believe humanity's future is in space.

Astronaut James Irwin of Apollo 15

on the Moon

The mountain in the background about three miles or five kilometers away is Hadley Delta

On the PBS NewsHour last night (8/19/2013),anchor Judy Woodruff discussed NASA's latest mission ~Not to the moon :(Not to Mars :(But to an asteroid???NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission isto find, rendezvous with, capture, and relocate an asteroid to a stable point near the moon.
(To view the PBS NewHour report click here.)However, when you think about it,being able to reach an asteroid is an important goal.What if an asteroid were on a collision course with Earth?It's happened before and will likely happen again.

NASA actually has a Near Earth Object Programto track asteroids and comets that pass close to Earth.NASA doesn't think that we are in danger anytime soon; non-the-less, it's keeping an eye on NEOs.Which brings me to my all-time favorite asteroid disaster film: Armageddon.

Do I care if the critics panned it? ~ NOT!What can I say ~I worked in the Oil Patch on drilling rigs.I have tremendous admiration for the dangerous and necessary work drillers and roughnecks do.

Driller Jack Taylor and Me, 1981

DNB Crew: Trenton, Donnie, Mike,

Don (Driller) and Claude (Tool Pusher), 1981

How could I not appreciate Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis)and his crew of deep-core drillers?And doesn't Arwen get around ~ beautiful daughter of Elrond and Tyler!While the movie had its share of scientific flaws, it was great fun!

And how about Aerosmith's biggest hitI Don't Wanna Miss a ThingOne of the great love songs!

Yup! I live in an amazing city with an amazing future.And I don't wanna miss a thing!What do you look forward to in the future?

Monday, August 19, 2013

Do you like to fly?I love to fly!Our home is located in the flight pathfor Buckley Air Force Base.Many days when I'm walking,I get to see its F-16s flying overhead.I always have to stop and watch them streaking by.I've learned to look well ahead of the thundering soundsto spot these beautiful birds.I'd fly on one in a heartbeat if I had the chance!Would you?

Huh?You may be thinking ~ just like the Ever-Patient Terry.That's exciting???Well, if you look closely from the lower left and the lower right,you will see I-70 disappearing under the Continental Divide.I caught both entrances to the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel!Try that at tens of thousands of feet and moving very fast!I always marvel at this tunnel when I drive through it.It is an amazing engineering feat.The tunnel consists of two bores:Interstate 70 West passes through the Eisenhower bore which was the first one to open on March 8, 1973.The westbound Eisenhower tunnel is 1.7 miles or 2.7 kilometers long.

Constructing both sides of the tunnel was challenging.Boring under the continental dividethrough granite, gneiss, and schist proved difficult for men and machines at such a high elevation.

Workers discovered fault lines as they worked on the Eisenhower bore

and slipping occurred along those fault lines.Although emergency steps were taken to prevent cave-ins and collapsing of the tunnels, nine workers died during their construction.Commented one frustrated engineer:"We were going by the book, but the damned mountain couldn't read."
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_Tunnel